Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder have discovered a compound in the blood of pythons that suppresses appetite. This compound helps snakes consume large amounts of food and stay metabolically healthy even when they go months without eating.
The research, a collaboration between scientists at Stanford University and Baylor University, could lead to new weight-loss treatments that promote satiety without the nausea and muscle loss that can occur with existing drugs.
The results of this study will be published in the journal Natural Metabolism on March 19th.
“This is a perfect example of biology inspired by nature,” said lead author Leslie Reinwand, a distinguished professor of molecular, cellular, and developmental biology who has studied pythons in the lab for 20 years. “We’re looking at extraordinary animals that can do things that you and I and other mammals can’t, and trying to use that in therapeutic interventions.”
metabolic superpowers
Pythons can grow to the size of telephone poles, swallow antelopes whole, and go months or even years without eating while maintaining healthy hearts and sufficient muscle mass. According to Reinwand’s research, the heart dilates by 25% and metabolism speeds up 4,000 times in the hours after eating to help digest food.
To better understand what makes these superpowers possible, Reinwand teamed up with Jonathan Long, an associate professor of pathology at Stanford University who studies metabolic byproducts, or metabolites, in the blood to study how mammals take in and expend energy.
Long’s lab recently tested the blood of another interesting creature, racehorses, to gain insight into how animals can endure sprinting.
“If we really want to understand metabolism, we need to go beyond looking at mice and humans and look at the greatest metabolic extremes that nature has to offer,” Long said.
For the new study, the researchers fed blood samples of ball pythons and Burmese pythons once every 28 days and measured them immediately after eating their meals.
In total, they found 208 metabolites that were significantly increased after being consumed by the pythons. One molecule, called paratyramine-O-sulfate (pTOS), soared 1,000-fold.
Further research with researchers at Baylor University showed that administering high doses of pTOS to obese or lean mice acts on the hypothalamus, the brain’s appetite center, promoting weight loss without causing gastrointestinal problems, muscle loss, or energy loss.
The study found that pTOS, which is produced by snake gut bacteria, is not naturally present in mice. It is present at low levels in human urine, but increases slightly after meals.
However, pTOS has been neglected as most studies have been conducted in mice or rats.
“We basically discovered an appetite suppressant that works in mice without the side effects of GLP-1 drugs,” Reinwand said, referring to drugs such as Ozempic and Wigovy that act on the glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) hormone.
Biology inspired by nature
Reinwand pointed out that these new drugs were inspired by another reptile, the Gila monster. The American monster’s venom contains a hormone similar to human GLP-1.
These drugs are currently used by millions of people, but studies show that as many as half of users stop taking them within a year.
We believe there is still room for therapeutic growth in this market. ”
Leslie Canvas, Senior Author
She, Long, and colleagues at the University of Boulder founded a startup, Arkana Therapeutics, to commercialize some of the lessons learned from pythons.
They envision a day when chemically synthesized analogs of rare metabolites found in pythons could be turned into treatments to help people.
Weight loss is not the only treatment goal they are focused on.
Age-related muscle loss (sarcopenia) affects nearly everyone to some degree as we age, but it is especially hard on people who have health problems that make it difficult for them to exercise. To date, there are no treatments to prevent or reverse sarcopenia.
Snakes may also provide insight into how, Reinwand said.
In future studies, the researchers hope to investigate how pTOS acts in humans and catalog the functions of other metabolites that increase after the pythons eat it. Some of the metabolites the researchers identified in their study spiked by 500 to 800 percent.
“We don’t stop with this one metabolite,” Reinwand said. “There’s still a lot to learn.”
sauce:
University of Colorado Boulder
Reference magazines:
Xiao, S. Others. (2026). Python metabolomics reveals conserved postprandial metabolites and nutritional pathways from the gut to the brain. natural metabolism. DOI: 10.1038/s42255-026-01485-0. https://www.nature.com/articles/s42255-026-01485-0
